Although the 1960's are usually considered the decade of the greatest achievement for Black civil rights, the 1940's and 1950's were periods of equally important gains. Assess the validity of this statement.
In order to accomplish anything in life, one must start somewhere. Without a stable beginning, success is unlikely to come. The 1940’s and the 1950’s were the beginning of the many achievements to be made in the 1960’s. Without the progress in those two decades, who knows if any progress would have been made at all? Because the 40’s and 50’s created that stable base for success, that period of time is just as important as the 1960’s. If it were not for the bravery of men like A. Philip Randolph, Martin Luther King Jr. may have never had the courage to say he had a dream. If the blacks in the south had not been so adamant on getting jobs in the North and West, and being treated equally while doing so, segregation may have never been put to an end (Before King). It is that brave start that got the ball rolling for the 1960’s.
Martin Luther King Jr. often used religious references in speeches, and many times this was the basis of what he was saying during the Civil Rights movement. That connection to religion was inspired by those that came in the two decades before him. In the 1940’s, African American religious thinkers traveled all over the world for ecumenical conferences, making pilgrimages to India so they could learn from Ghandi and his application of nonviolent action. This encouragement of peaceful protest to gain rights for blacks began as early as the 1940’s, and was followed by the activists to come in the 60’s. Howard Thurman, an African American author, Dean of Howard University and much more once said, “nonviolence is not passive resistance but rather is an active force; it must be practiced in absolute love and without hate” (Before King). This quote sums up the values of the Civil Rights movement to come.
Another influential leader to future activists was A. Philip Randolph. He “challenged black churches and clergy to pursue social change and find the moral means to achieve it” (Before King). In 1940, Randolph made the threat of marching in Washington for equal treatment of blacks. This threat, though it would have been peaceful as prompted by other leaders, made the government outlaw employment discrimination in plants during war time. He also regarded the mobilization of the black churches as a very important part of the struggle against the long lasting Jim Crow laws (Before King). The churches quickly became a strong national defense against these laws. Once the war ended, all of the leaps made in the church were enough to make even bigger strides in the 1960’s.
One of the biggest accomplishments made in the 1950’s though, and probably the biggest game changer, was the Brown v. Board of Education case on May 17, 1954 (In the Courts). In this case, the Supreme Court decided that segregation in schools violated the Constitution. Chief Justice Earl Warren declared that segregation in schools “promoted feelings of inferiority in black children,” which reduced the children’s motivation to learn. The decision made in this case was probably the biggest step in the struggle for equality (In the Courts). It expanded the legal rights of African Americans more than any other act, law or court decision had in a long time. Blacks finally broke the barrier of segregation between blacks and whites. Though it may have only been in schools, and was only ending segregation there for children, it was the start of many wonderful things to come.
All of these things, whether they were small values and principles to live by or events that changed history, led up to the achievements made in the 1960’s. The two decades before that decade of success set up the solid start that the Civil Rights Movement needed. Those years were full of inspiration and hope, and that is just as important as reaching the final goal.
In order to accomplish anything in life, one must start somewhere. Without a stable beginning, success is unlikely to come. The 1940’s and the 1950’s were the beginning of the many achievements to be made in the 1960’s. Without the progress in those two decades, who knows if any progress would have been made at all? Because the 40’s and 50’s created that stable base for success, that period of time is just as important as the 1960’s. If it were not for the bravery of men like A. Philip Randolph, Martin Luther King Jr. may have never had the courage to say he had a dream. If the blacks in the south had not been so adamant on getting jobs in the North and West, and being treated equally while doing so, segregation may have never been put to an end (Before King). It is that brave start that got the ball rolling for the 1960’s.
Martin Luther King Jr. often used religious references in speeches, and many times this was the basis of what he was saying during the Civil Rights movement. That connection to religion was inspired by those that came in the two decades before him. In the 1940’s, African American religious thinkers traveled all over the world for ecumenical conferences, making pilgrimages to India so they could learn from Ghandi and his application of nonviolent action. This encouragement of peaceful protest to gain rights for blacks began as early as the 1940’s, and was followed by the activists to come in the 60’s. Howard Thurman, an African American author, Dean of Howard University and much more once said, “nonviolence is not passive resistance but rather is an active force; it must be practiced in absolute love and without hate” (Before King). This quote sums up the values of the Civil Rights movement to come.
Another influential leader to future activists was A. Philip Randolph. He “challenged black churches and clergy to pursue social change and find the moral means to achieve it” (Before King). In 1940, Randolph made the threat of marching in Washington for equal treatment of blacks. This threat, though it would have been peaceful as prompted by other leaders, made the government outlaw employment discrimination in plants during war time. He also regarded the mobilization of the black churches as a very important part of the struggle against the long lasting Jim Crow laws (Before King). The churches quickly became a strong national defense against these laws. Once the war ended, all of the leaps made in the church were enough to make even bigger strides in the 1960’s.
One of the biggest accomplishments made in the 1950’s though, and probably the biggest game changer, was the Brown v. Board of Education case on May 17, 1954 (In the Courts). In this case, the Supreme Court decided that segregation in schools violated the Constitution. Chief Justice Earl Warren declared that segregation in schools “promoted feelings of inferiority in black children,” which reduced the children’s motivation to learn. The decision made in this case was probably the biggest step in the struggle for equality (In the Courts). It expanded the legal rights of African Americans more than any other act, law or court decision had in a long time. Blacks finally broke the barrier of segregation between blacks and whites. Though it may have only been in schools, and was only ending segregation there for children, it was the start of many wonderful things to come.
All of these things, whether they were small values and principles to live by or events that changed history, led up to the achievements made in the 1960’s. The two decades before that decade of success set up the solid start that the Civil Rights Movement needed. Those years were full of inspiration and hope, and that is just as important as reaching the final goal.
Works Cited
"Before King." The Wilson Quarterly 29.4 (2005): 96+. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 26 Apr. 2012.
"In the Courts." __Constitutional Rights__ Foundation. Web. 26 Apr. 2012. <http://www.crf-usa.org/black-history-month/in-the-courts>.